Our Adventure–First Leg

Saturday September 13

Our first day was spent driving toward Louisville.  We had a slightly late start because it was raining until about 8AM.  I have got to comment on Michigan’s crappy roads.  I-75 south of Detroit is terribly bumpy and pocked with half filled potholes.  You really notice it when you cross into Ohio, which is pretty smooth.  The difference…they were rebuilding close to 100 miles of I-75, oh, and did I mention, gas there was $3.14/gal, 40 cents cheaper than Michigan.

The destination tonight is Camp Wal-Mart off I-265 south of Louisville.

Along the way was the big hill as you enter Kentucky.  In 2006 when we had the GMC 454 van and the Prowler trailer, it was 40 mph, 2nd gear, and 250F coolant temp.  Today it was a non-event, 4th gear 50-55 mph. We love the way this Ford tows, and almost 11 mpg!  On I-265 we saluted as we passed the Truckie’s birthplace.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Today’s destination is Cullman, Alabama.  The 300 miles or so went pretty well except in Nashville where road construction and traffic created a big back-up.  We are at the Cullman Campground, a smaller campground really back off in the boonies, but seems pretty nice.

After getting situated’ we went into Cullman to see the Ave Maria Grotto.  It is located on the grounds of the St. Bernard Abbey.  It consists of a collection of miniature replicas of cities, churches, and biblical scenes all hand carved or cast from sand, stone, cement, and various discarded materials.  They were all created by Brother Joseph Zoetl from Landshut, Bavaria from 1892 until his death in 1961.  The collection was moved to it’s current site in 1934.

These sculptures are amazing!  There are hundreds of items.  Considering they were built in his free time, Brother Joseph put in some very long days.  A few pictures follow.

Amazing aren’t they!  This last one is a statue of Brother Joseph.